ECU Professor addresses the under-representation of women in science in higher education

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ECU Professor addresses the under-representation of women in science in higher education

Wednesday, 19 February 2020

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On 5 February 2020, ECU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Caroline Finch AO a member of ECU’s Athena SWAN Charter Committee, was invited to the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill. Professor Finch AO was hosted by the Gillings School of Public Health and the Injury Prevention Research Centre (IPRC) as a visiting research fellow, and to deliver a guest presentation to the wider university community.

Professor Finch AO, herself a STEM researcher, is known globally for her injury prevention, injury surveillance and sports medicine research. She has previously been ranked as one of the 10 most highly published injury researchers of all time and is recognised as one of the most influential sports medicine researchers internationally. In 2018, Professor Finch was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her distinguished service to sports medicine, particularly in the area of injury prevention as an educator, researcher and author, and to the promotion of improved health in athletes and those who exercise.

While at UNC, Professor Finch AO addressed a whole-of university seminar entitled ‘Gender Equity in Higher Education’. Professor Finch was able to draw on the four years of ECU’s work achieving Bronze Athena SWAN Institutional accreditation in 2018 and ECU’s attainment of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency Citation as an Employer of Choice for successive years. This included reference to ECU addressing barriers to women advancing in STEM, the gender pay gap, creating a family-friendly and inclusive campus and showing consistent leadership from the top.

Professor Finch AO said she was pleased to be able to promote ECU on an international platform. “ECU is working hard to improve gender equity and diversity across the STEMM disciplines, and the entire University. I am delighted to be able to share our gender equity initiatives and activities to an international audience.”

Professor Finch AO also delivered a workshop mentoring session to early and mid career women injury researchers about having a successful and internationally recognised research career.

Professor Finch AO, an avid supporter for gender equality, is currently the Co-Chair of the Universities Australia Executive Women Group.

For more information about ECU’s commitment to gender equality, visit the ECU Gender Equality website or contact athenaswanaustralia@ecu.edu.au.

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